Description
The OSCAR protocol implementation in Pidgin before 2.5.8 misinterprets the ICQWebMessage message type as the ICQSMS message type, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted ICQ web message that triggers allocation of a large amount of memory.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | pidgin | 2.5.8-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | pidgin | 2.5.8-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | pidgin | 2.5.8-1 | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 5 | finch +8 | 2.5.8-1.el5 | RHSA-2009:1139 |
| RHEL 4 | finch +8 | 2.5.8-1.el4 | RHSA-2009:1139 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Rhel Productivity 5 | finch +8 | 2.5.8-1.el5 | RHSA-2009:1139 |
Advisories 1
- RHSA-2009:1139 Red Hat Security Advisory: pidgin security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
References
- [devel] 20090528 [patch] libpurple/protocols/oscar: OOM and die on misparsed ICQWebMessage as ICQSMS mailing-list
- 35530 vdb-entry
- RHSA-2009:1139 vendor-advisory
- 35697 third-party-advisory
- FEDORA-2009-7359 vendor-advisory
- http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/9483
- 37071 third-party-advisory
- USN-796-1 vendor-advisory
- 35706 third-party-advisory
- pidgin-oscar-dos(51448) vdb-entry
- 35693 third-party-advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=508738
- FEDORA-2009-7370 vendor-advisory
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:10004 vdb-entry signature
- ADV-2009-1749 vdb-entry
- FEDORA-2009-7415 vendor-advisory